Are We Cramming Our Lives Full of Commercials?

It's called "ad creep." One minute you're standing at a bus stop, the next minute you're standing at a bus stop scented like chocolate chip cookies in the hopes that you'll "Need Milk."

The latest frontier of this parade of commercials? School buses in South Carolina. The Board of Education just signed a deal on a contract that's worth $2,100 for each month they post ads above the windows in all of their school buses. Some adults might be able to ignore an army of ads, but I wonder about kids. And can we really? Do you miss empty space to think?

Who wins the battle of our consciousness vs. commercialism? Are we selling out?

"I could give less than a fly leap if kids are marketed to because as far as I know children don't have jobs and aren't making money and aren't the ones controlling spending. If the children are holding the purse strings then the problem goes beyond advertising into poor parenting and role establishment."
Yeah, that's the problem. Parents give in to their kids over stuff like this because they don't know how to say no. I'm going to go ahead an guess that these ads will be for crap "food". It's so sad that people don't realize eating this junk all day every day is damaging.

OMG lilruck those McD's free hamburger awards have been around since I was in elementary school in the mid to late 70s.
Again, I didn't dictate what my parents did or where we went so I was told two things - McD's which was only 3 or so miles from our house was too far to go for one free hamburger when my mom could make one better. And two my mom told me that ripping the coupon off the award ruined the award, made it mean less. So yeah I did it once then never again.
After my mom died my dad give me this stack of good citizenship awards from McD's. I am like dad "why did you take these out of the frames? You almost ruined my awards!" My dad - "but the coupons haven't expired. Free hamburgers!" Good binge-eater dad.
My nephews got them too in school - I told them the same BS my mom did, removing the coupon lessen the award value. My nephews had piles of those coupons until they joined the President's Fitness Team and turn them in a got a 2 patches from Bill Clinton for good health. I honestly think Bill may have used them.

Please my life has always been a commercial.
From the "I am pepper, you're a pepper" to "I 'd like to buy the world a Coke" to "Mama mia that's a spicy meatball" to "plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is".. and "they're grrrrrreat!"
When I saw "The Truman Show" I thought AHA! that's it all my life some freak has been taping me and inserting commercials into the scenes of my life. And I spent my earlier childhood outside playing and only hearing these things on the edges of my life.
I could give less than a fly leap if kids are marketed to because as far as I know children don't have jobs and aren't making money and aren't the ones controlling spending. If the children are holding the purse strings then the problem goes beyond advertising into poor parenting and role establishment.
I'm the decider! Not some little kid.

Each day Americans are shown hundreds of ads (actual estimates are anywhere from 300-3,000 per DAY!). Personally, they drive me NUTS and I'm sick of them, but each company does have the right to do it.
I think it's terrible to put ads on a public school bus. Like sugarbean said, they're going to be Pepsi and Coke ads, or Fruit Roll-Ups.
How about McDonalds sending home coupons for free happy meals to students with good report card grades (was in the news a few weeks ago)..... now THAT is awful!

The concern with the ads in South Carolina is that the districts that are asking for permission to use ads in the buses are the most under-funded districts in the state. Since school funding is based on property taxes, we are probably talking about schools that serve a primarily low-socioeconomic demographic -- a demographic that is particularly vulnerable to obesity. (google "foodstamp challenge")
It's highly unlikely that "Vegetable Farmers of America" will be running ads in the buses -- it's much more likely that Coca-Cola and Pepsi will vie for space to advertise their new "Coke-Plus" or whatever it is that they've infused with vitamins to make it "healthy"

These ads are just everywhere in America. Nearly half of television airtime is devoted to advertising. Then it seems like a lot of shows have product placement. Then there's the billboards, the magazines, buses/subways/taxis, radio, mail, obnoxious internet flash ads that take over your whole screen, bathrooms... I'm so, so sick of it.

I'm fairly good at tuning ads out, but it does seem they are everywhere these days. However, as long as they aren't invasive (e.g. a poster or silent banner ad vs. a noisy commercial that plays automatically on a website, or TV spot with an obnoxious jingle). That said, if the schools can make money off it and the ads are appropriate for kids, it's not too bad.

_Marketing and Advertising_is an information source so to speak, I see nothing wrong with ADS in school buses as longs as its not something in poor taste or poses a threat to a child..like a cigarette ad god forbid.